1998–99 Charlotte Hornets season
| 1998–99 Charlotte Hornets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
|
| General manager | Bob Bass |
| Owner(s) | George Shinn |
| Arena | Charlotte Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 26–24 (.520) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 9th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | |
| Radio | WBT |
The 1998–99 NBA season was the eleventh season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.
During the off-season, the Hornets signed free agents Derrick Coleman, three-point specialist Chuck Person, Eldridge Recasner and Chucky Brown. However, before the regular season began, the team dealt with injuries as Anthony Mason was lost for the entire season due to a biceps injury suffered in practice, and All-Star forward Glen Rice was out with an elbow injury. The Hornets struggled losing eight of their first nine games, which led to a disappointing 4–11 start to the season, as head coach Dave Cowens resigned and was replaced with assistant Paul Silas.
At mid-season, Rice was traded along with J.R. Reid, and B. J. Armstrong to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for All-Star guard Eddie Jones, and Elden Campbell; Armstrong was released by the Lakers, and later signed with the Orlando Magic. The Hornets improved under Silas posting a 22–13 record, including a nine-game winning streak in April, as the team finished in fifth place in the Central Division with a 26–24 record. However, despite their above .500 record, they failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs by finishing just one game behind the 8th-seeded New York Knicks.
Jones averaged 17.0 points and 3.0 steals per game with the team in 30 games after the trade, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Campbell averaged 15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 32 games. In addition, Bobby Phills provided the team with 14.3 points and 1.4 steals per game, while David Wesley contributed 14.1 points, 6.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game, Coleman averaged 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, Brown provided with 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Person contributed 6.1 points per game.
The Hornets finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 480,807 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season. Following the season, Person signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics, and Brown signed with the San Antonio Spurs.